3D printed optimized electrodes for electrochemical flow reactors.

Recent advances in 3D printing have enabled the manufacture of porous electrodes which cannot be machined using traditional methods. With micron-scale precision, the pore structure of an electrode can now be designed for optimal energy efficiency, and a 3D printed electrode is not limited to a single uniform porosity. As these electrodes scale in size, however, the total number of possible pore designs can be intractable; choosing an appropriate pore distribution manually can be a complex task.

Cellular fluidics.

The natural world provides many examples of multiphase transport and reaction processes that have been optimized by evolution. These phenomena take place at multiple length and time scales and typically include gas-liquid-solid interfaces and capillary phenomena in porous media. Many biological and living systems have evolved to optimize fluidic transport.

Direct Writing of Tunable Living Inks for Bioprocess Intensification.

Critical to the success of three-dimensional (3D) printing of living materials with high performance is the development of new ink materials and 3D geometries that favor long-term cell functionality. Here we report the use of freeze-dried live cells as the solid filler to enable a new living material system for direct ink writing of catalytically active microorganisms with tunable densities and various self-supporting porous 3D geometries. Baker's yeast was used as an exemplary live whole-cell biocatalyst, and the printed structures displayed high resolution, large scale, high catalytic activity and long-term viability.

Printable enzyme-embedded materials for methane to methanol conversion.

An industrial process for the selective activation of methane under mild conditions would be highly valuable for controlling emissions to the environment and for utilizing vast new sources of natural gas. The only selective catalysts for methane activation and conversion to methanol under mild conditions are methane monooxygenases (MMOs) found in methanotrophic bacteria; however, these enzymes are not amenable to standard enzyme immobilization approaches. Using particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), we create a biocatalytic polymer material that converts methane to methanol.

Ultralight, ultrastiff mechanical metamaterials.

The mechanical properties of ordinary materials degrade substantially with reduced density because their structural elements bend under applied load. We report a class of microarchitected materials that maintain a nearly constant stiffness per unit mass density, even at ultralow density. This performance derives from a network of nearly isotropic microscale unit cells with high structural connectivity and nanoscale features, whose structural members are designed to carry loads in tension or compression.

Design and optimization of a light-emitting diode projection micro-stereolithography three-dimensional manufacturing system.

The rapid manufacture of complex three-dimensional micro-scale components has eluded researchers for decades. Several additive manufacturing options have been limited by either speed or the ability to fabricate true three-dimensional structures. Projection micro-stereolithography (PμSL) is a low cost, high throughput additive fabrication technique capable of generating three-dimensional microstructures in a bottom-up, layer by layer fashion.